The Brinks’ tiny-house village. Lennox Brinks
- The Brinks went viral three years ago for building a tiny-house village.
- Ryan Brinks’ kids are in college now, but they still live in their own tiny houses on the property.
- In the past three years, they have painted the houses and gotten goats.
After going viral in 2020 for their tiny-house village, the Brinks family is still making the most of their lifestyle.
Back in 2015, Keli and Ryan Brinks purchased a 21-acre plot of land in Kentucky with the goal of living a more sustainable life. Keli and Ryan share a 280-square-foot home on the property, and their kids, Lennox and Brodey — 18 and 16 when the story went viral — each have their own houses.
The property also has a building with bathrooms, a pool house for family gatherings, and a smaller house that functions as an office.
Three years later, the family still enjoys life in their tiny-home village — but they’ve made some big changes to their property.
The family received some pushback, but they still believe in what they’re doing
When they moved from Michigan to build their tiny-house village, the Brinks family was the object of some controversy — especially around the fact that their kids were living in their own houses.
“I saw one story where people commented that we wanted our kids away from us, or that our kids would be running off and sneaking out,” Ryan told Insider.
On the flip side, Lennox regularly posted about the tiny-home village on her TikTok, where she received plenty of positive feedback about the setup.
Regardless of public perception, the Brinks family remained confident in their decision — and their kids never got into any trouble. Ryan said he knew their dogs would bark if the kids tried to sneak out. He also said he’s outside frequently, so he wasn’t worried about what the kids were up to.
Inside Ryan and Keli’s tiny house. Courtesy of Lennox Brinks
Plus, they trusted their kids from a young age.
“They knew our expectations and that they couldn’t get away with anything like that,” Ryan said. “It’s no different than us having a house together and the kids locked their door.”
The family always prioritized time together, too. Ryan said that they frequently gather in the pool house to play cards or spend time outside playing yard games even now that their kids aren’t there full time.
The kids are in college, but they still call the tiny-house village home
Brodie is currently enrolled in a community college and works overnight shifts. When he’s not at school or work, he’s at his tiny home. Ryan said Brodie hopes to one day build his own house on the property.
Lennox, who is 22 and enrolled at a nearby university, regularly returns to her tiny house. After she got married in June 2022, Ryan and Keli gifted the couple six acres at the front of the property.
Lennox and her husband are currently building their own home, complete with a bathroom and kitchen. They plan for it to be slightly bigger than a true tiny house. The pair plans to live at Lennox’s original tiny house as their new one is built.
Lennox’s husband, Ryan said, is completely on board with the lifestyle. To keep the newlyweds connected to the original village, Ryan hopes to install a zip line.
“We’re down a hair and they’re up higher, so it’ll help to cross the gulley both ways,” he said.
They’ve added to the tiny-house village in the past 3 years
Since 2020, Ryan and Keli have transformed the tiny-house village. Over the years, they’ve painted all the tiny homes so they look more like houses rather than barns.
Ryan also built an additional bedroom in the back of his and Keli’s tiny house so they don’t have to climb up to the loft every night — especially as they get older.
The family also now herds goats on the property and milks them for goat cheese, which they sell.
Ryan has built multiple tiny barns on the property for their goats, plus an underground cellar.
Two tiny houses on the Brinks’ property. Courtesy of Lennox Brinks
“We’re building another full-sized goat barn because our goats keep having more babies,” he said.
Ryan and Keli eventually hope to use the kids’ tiny homes to help others
Once Lennox and Brodie are settled in their own spaces, Ryan said he wants to use their original tiny homes to help families in need.
Keli works with vulnerable families, and the couple originally planned to host foster kids.
“Unfortunately, because they are not connected to our house, it’s not a possibility,” he said.
Instead, he and Keli may instead create temporary housing for single parents who need a place to stay until they get back on their feet.
In the nearer future, the Brinks family plans to host a public open house so people can come experience the property, hike their trails, and feed the animals.
Ryan, who works remotely full time, also has no plans to stop building.
“When I get off work, or on my lunches, I go to work here,” he said. “It keeps us busy and out of trouble.”
